Over the years, a number of larger bowling centers have been transformed into Wal-Mart or other “big box” stores.

So why not the former home of the United States Bowling Congress in Greendale, Wis.?

According to Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel business writer Doris Hajewski, Wal-Mart is looking at that site for one of its stand-alone grocery sites, which typically range in size from 30,000 to 60,000 square feet.

In just the past month, the retail giant has opened larger traditional stores, with grocery sections, in the Milwaukee suburbs of Muskego and Waukesha. According to Hajewski, the company has been on “an aggressive expansion path” in that metropolitan area.

The United States Bowling Congress left the long-time home of its association predecessors — the American Bowling Congress, Women’s International Bowling Congress and Young American Bowling Alliance — to join the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America in developing and populating the new International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas.

The Greendale site has been empty ever since, and its value decreased sharply during the economic downturn.